Walkin' On Your Grave
by Tragically Humorous
Summary: "It's a grave marker. Some poor sap is buried on this planet." Rex moved to stand behind Hardcase as the kneeling trooper brushed away the overgrown moss on the marker, revealing deeply cut words. Commander Rex CT-7567.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: "It's a grave marker. Some poor sap is buried on this planet." Rex moved to stand behind Hardcase as the kneeling trooper brushed away the overgrown moss on the marker, revealing deeply cut words. _Commander Rex_ _CT-7567._

* * *

Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new... but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?

–Paracelsus

* * *

"Commander!" Two soldiers in full armor greeted as they passed by their superior in the hallway of _The Resolute_.

Rex nodded in return as he continued on his way, his steps echoing in against each bulkhead as he passed through the interior of the ship toward the bridge.

He was on his way to receive his next set of orders from Admiral Yularen. His comm. had been unusually vague about the context of this mission, leading him to believe there was something sensitive about the information he was going to be briefed on.

Finally reaching the turbo lift, Rex pressed the release for door and stepped through. After selecting the appropriate level the lift shifted with movement, Rex allowed his eyes to close exhaustion. It had been a rough couple of months.

Ahsoka was gone.

She had been framed by one of her friends in the Jedi Order. He knew she never would have carried out something so destructive against those she considered to be her family. She cared far too much about her way of life. Once the Council found her innocent, she refused their offer to be reinstated in the Order and having her name cleared publically.

She had always been stubborn.

She chose to live in exile, no longer be associated with Jedi. He hadn't heard from her since she snuck into his quarters late the night the announcement of her desertion was made.

He had broken protocol and hugged her tightly, ignored her quiet sniffling and the tears that stained his cloth shirt. He gave her the comfort she so desperately needed in that moment and he knew his life would never be the same without the Torgruta.

"I'll be there for you," He had told her has he handed her his holoprojector. "Anytime you want to talk, just call."

She had resisted at first, but eventually accepted his gift. He had tried to offer her one of his blasters for protection in place of her missing light sabers, but she refused vehemently.

"What would I do with a blaster, Rexter?" She had chuckled with tears in her cerulean eyes; her sienna skin was flushed deeper than usual with her distress.

All too soon, she was gone with so many things had been left unsaid.

General Skywalker had withdrawn into himself more than usual after her departure. It only took two days of trying to continue as though nothing had happened before he broke down. The Jedi Council recalled him to Coruscant which was to become his haven.

Rex was promoted to fill Ahsoka's absence, and Admiral Yularen took over in place of General Skywalker during his absence. The war continued on.

Days passed, and then weeks turned into months. It felt like years, and Rex carried on. The loss of both of his Jedi superiors had created burden of grief that grew hollow inside of him. General Skywalker and Commander Ahsoka had become much more to the 501st than just Jedi frontrunners. They were their leaders and friends.

He mourned them as if he had lost a brother. The difference in the pain was his Jedi had made a choice to leave, which amplified his suffering. He had thrown himself into his work with reckless abandon, sleeping less and less to work the data that came endlessly across his desk. He barely made trips to the mess hall, surviving on ration bars when his hunger began to hinder his work performance. His training intensity had faltered dramatically because of his hectic work ethic, but he still fought with every fiber of his being.

He took unnecessary risks trying to cover the loss of the Jedi fighters, but more often than not, the 501st Legion joined other ships with Jedi Generals for an attack. Rex still found it difficult to trust other Jedi, but he was loyal to The Republic, and they proved their worth in battle.

But he couldn't compare any of them to bright blues eyes and a feisty smile.

The lift door opened with a hiss that startled Rex out of his thoughts.

He refocused on his task at hand and finished the rest of the short journey to the bridge. Once he had stepped into the glowing lights of the ship's central command, Rex straightened his shoulders before approaching the main holoprojector in the center of the room.

"Ah, Commander Rex, thank goodness you've arrived." The Admiral greeted him. His appearance seemed worn to Rex's trained eye, but the Admiral stood tall.

"Admiral," He replied standing at attention.

"There are a few others on your team, but since you're leading this mission, I wanted to brief you separately." The Admiral gestured the hologram currently being displayed. "What do you know about stellar phenomena?"

Rex frowned, "I'm afraid not much, sir."

The Admiral nodded and motioned back to the displayed image, "This is what is called a Vampire star, named after some archaic myth."

The image showed a large star shining brightly against the dark background of space. Another smaller star was extremely close to the massive giant, and to Rex it appeared that the larger star was pulling the life from the smaller star by their proximity.

"As you can see, this giant is feeding off of the dwarf star, now that is not unusual but it is rare," The Admiral walked around to the opposite side of the holoprojector and pointed at the debris being pulled to the larger star.

"This inner gaseous matter is hardly ever available, but we believe it can be used to enhance our missiles with such a strong electromagnetic pulse that it will wipe out droid armies on an entire planet, with no loss of civilian life."

Rex nodded, his memory recalling a battle, eyes intent on the image. "We've experimented with such technology before, but never on a planet-sized scale."

"If our scientists are correct, planet-sized would be simple." His eyes spoke of his excitement. "We could end this war within weeks."

"Our orders, sir?"

"Because the stars are located too deeply in Separatist territory for a battle cruiser, you and a team of three other clones will extract the materials we need."

Rex smirked, but apprehension bloomed in his heart. "That seems to be too simple, sir."

The Admiral chucked and clasped his hands behind his back while he walked around the holoprojector to stand next to Rex. "Astute! As always, Commander,"

"Vampire stars are always massive and have a short lifespan. This star, named Tolaris, has been feeding on this smaller star, Breeis, for a few weeks. Once our scanners detected the anomaly, we estimate that once the dwarf is consumed, Tolaris will only live for a single day before it supernovas."

"Only a day?" Rex sounded skeptical. "That doesn't match what we were taught at the academy about astrophysics."

"Well," The Admiral hesitated, "There is some gravimetric distortions, massive quantities of harmless plasma radiation, and other unexplained readings that we don't understand. We believe it's playing a part in accelerating the star's death and thus your time frame for the extraction."

"Will it be a risk to my men?" Rex asked firmly.

"Of course not," The Admiral laughed and held up a data stick, "We have the entire mission flight planned out for you on this data stick. Just follow the instructions exactly and the flight path between the stars to avoid their gravitational pull and you'll be back with us before you know it."

They both turned at the sound of the door opening, and Fives, Echo, and Hardcase walked in single file before standing at attention.

"Admiral," They spoke in unison.

"At ease, gentlemen." The Admiral waved away their formality. "I've just briefed the Commander as to the nature of your mission. As soon as he's given you the details, you'll be on your way." With that, the Admiral turned to Rex. "Good luck." He walked further into the bridge, his attention turned toward one of the lit consoles.

"Well troopers," Rex moved to stand closer in front of his men and gave them a smirk. "It looks like we're going on a road trip."

* * *

Author's Note: Vampires stars are real, and so is their short lifespan, but obviously not as short as a day. I made it bit more dramatic for my story. The star names were made up as well. Fiction people. But just wait, I'll be making up a lot more stuff in this story. Hopefully I won't get beat up for my simplified imagination.

Rex was promoted, if you missed that part. So don't hate me for not calling him Captain.

I like Hardcase a lot. That's why he's back from the dead and in my story. Creative license!

Please review if this is something worth continuing! Five reviews and the next chapter will be out. It's already completed. Seriously, reviews are all the authors get. Feed me!

Much love!

-Tragically Humorous


	2. Chapter 2

"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe than time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment because they'll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important how we lived. After all, Number One, we're only mortal."

Captain Picard, _The Next Generation_

* * *

"Alright, gents. Let's get this mission over with." Rex said as he and his brothers climbed aboard their assigned shuttle. It wasn't a standard fighter, but a small passenger ship with neutral colors in order to move behind enemy lines without attracting attention.

"This mission is going to be extremely boring isn't it," Hardcase stated sighing deeply as he stepped onto the boarding platform followed by Echo and Fives who glanced at each other behind his back in exasperation.

"And you're going to complain the entire time, aren't you." Fives commented by dryly while Echo merely rolled his eyes and shook his head before they all strapped their helmets in place.

Rex smirked, but ignored their small banter. He realized that this mission wasn't the ideal mission troopers enjoy getting sent on, so he allowed them to vent their frustrations.

"Well if I get to blow something up, then I won't complain." Hardcase said as though it made all the logic in the universe. "We should at least get to blow something up."

"Easy trooper," Rex said with a chuckle.

The four of them entered the smaller shuttle that had already been prepared with outside canisters especially made to contain the astronomical gas. The interior was simplified with five seats, one for the pilot and four passengers that faced inward to the center of the cabin in each corner. Rex claimed the seat behind Fives, who took his assigned role as pilot.

"All systems are functioning within normal parameters, and we have been cleared with the flight deck." Fives states, fingers flying over the buttons of the console.

"Fair enough, Fives, take us out." Rex commanded while he inserted the data stick he had been given from the Admiral into the computer database over his shoulder. "Your flight plan is in the main computer."

"Yes sir," Fives then disengaged the landing equipment and fired up the thrusters.

The shuttle flew low out of the main hanger, through the force fields and out into open space. After clearing the appropriate distance, Fives made the jump to hyperspace.

"Alright men," Rex stood bracing himself again the wall while the men sat in their seats. "We've got at least six hours in hyperspace to reach our destination. Focus on the mission and we'll be back home before we know it." Rex echoed the Admiral and resigned himself to the flight and what he hoped would be an uneventful mission.

Rex then sat down and placed his bucket on his head, filtering out the noise of the cabin trying to find a moment of peace during this mission before they reached their objective. Through his visor he could see that Echo and Hardcase were already arguing about something that was probably irrelevant to the mission and Fives was ignoring both of them from the front.

Pulling a data pad from his belt, he attempted to focus on some reports that had piled up within the past few days regarding a recent battle with 501st, but after several hours he struggled to keep his attention on the stats and data scrolling in front of his eyes.

Between his attempts to work, his thoughts drifted again to his former Commander. He wondered if she was alright. She had mentioned trying to find asylum with her friends on Onderon. He remembered helping her friends, rebels who had won back their planet from the Separatists forces and reinstated their king. That seemed like an eternity ago.

"Lux has a house located on one of the four moons." She'd said. "I know I shouldn't ask, but I'm hoping I can be helpful in some way. Pay my dues."

His eyes slide shut as her voice rose out of his memory, bringing life to the pain of her leaving. She had been his closest friend. He once again thought of her leaving the Jedi Order and if he had done all he could to help her. He should have asked her to stay. If only for him; but it was too selfish of a request.

He'd always admired her, even when she had just arrived. She had seemed so innocent, but she had a way of dealing with General Skywalker that was most impressive and worthy of notice. Over time, she had wormed her way into the heart of the 501st with her spirited attitude and compassionate soul. She would always be one of them, regardless of circumstances or distance.

"Sir, we're approaching our destination." Fives voice came through on a private comm. channel into his helmet.

"Very good Fives,"

Tuning back into the cabin, he heard Hardcase trying to engage Echo to combat boredom.

"Okay, you'll never guess this one. Something within my eye, something that I spy… something white!"

Echo sighed deeply, seeming to already have accepted his fate. "Is it my armor?"

"Nope!" Hardcase was practically giddy.

"Is it your armor?"

"Nope!"

"Is it Fives' armor?"

"Nope!"

"Is it the commander's armor?"

"Aw, you guessed." Hardcase crossed his arms in defeat. "Your turn,"

"Hardcase, we've run out of things to spy four times already. I can't take anymore." Echo sighed, letting his armored head fall back to rest against the wall with a 'thud.'

Rex chuckled. "Steady troopers, the star should be within sight now."

"Taking us out of hyperspace," Five announced from the front of the ship.

As the bright glow of hyperspace faded to the ominous vacuum of space, Echo and Hardcase joined Rex standing behind Fives as he maneuvered the ship so that the two stars could be seen through the front viewer.

"Wow," Echo breathed in, the rest of them agreed with his sentiment.

The large star, Tolaris, was massive in size. Against the inky blackness of space, it was a beacon of light and hope radiating a soft glow that veiled the true nature of the monstrosity. The smaller star, Breeis, had already shrunken in size from the holoimage they had seen. The faint light of the star smoldered azure while the vaporous substance was being pulled from its cracking core. It drifted in curled tendrils between the two celestial bodies before being consumed by the bright luminosity of Tolaris.

"I'm glad I got to see this," Fives spoke up, breaking the wonder. Rex cleared his throat, a little embarrassed that stars had stunned them all into silence, even if it truly was something magnificent to behold.

"Fives, the flight plan has us coming around the Tolaris in a low orbit, and then we're going to fly right through the gas there," Rex pointed through the wisps of blue floating between the stars. "to collect our samples. After that, you can take us home."

"Aye sir," Fives matched the ship to the low trajectory. They all remained standing behind him, watching the sight as Breeis was obscured from view.

As the ship came around the far side of Tolaris, the planned flight path between the two stars directly ahead, the entire ship shuddered unexpectedly.

"Fives," Hardcase said in a warning tone.

The ship trembled again, more violently than the first time.

"Seats everyone, buckle up." Rex commanded. "Fives, what was that?"

"Not sure," Fives was looking intently at the computer panel. "I'm getting some strange gravimetric readings here, but there is nothing out there to indicate the presence of any such phenomena." He motioned to the viewer.

"The admiral informed us of some distorted readings that had been picked up." Rex stated grimly as the ship shook more viciously. A steady beeping and flashing red blub served as a warning.

"These readings are off the charts," Fives sounded concerned. "I don't even know what to make of most of this."

The transport rattled violently.

"Oh well _now_ we know why they sent clones!" Hardcase bemoaned from his seat. "Why send precious scientists when clones are _so_ expendable?"

"Hardcase, you di'kut, keep your mouth shut!" Echo barked from across the aisle.

Rex ignored them, instead bracing himself so he could witness the flight screen systems going haywire in front of Fives, trying to make sense of the data that was appearing and disappearing rapidly in colored flickers.

The sound of strained metal reverberated through the small vessel with a high pitched grating that sent tremors down Rex's spine.

"Commander, we are about to fly through the gas!" Fives shouted over the noise of the ship grinding around them, the indicator alarms were wailing deafeningly. "Whatever is happening, it's getting worse, the ship will be pulled apart!"

"Open the canisters! We will complete the mission!" Rex replied while holding on to wall of the ship despite the quaking.

"Aye, sir!" Fives entered the command into the console, "With all due respect sir, you might want to sit down!"

Rex agreed and quickly sat in his seat. Because of the jarring movement of the ship, he was still fumbling with the buckle when Fives cried out.

"The distortions are knocking us off our flight path! We're pulling us toward Tolaris! We're being sucked in!"

Rex glanced to the view screen; he could see the blue haze of the gaseous core of Breeis was encasing the ship, but nothing was visible beyond.

"Fives, steer us away from the gas! Any direction!" He ordered, hoping to be heard over the clamor of the cabin.

"Can't sir," Fives voice was strained, "Something's opening up on the flight panel! Right in front of us!"

"Fives?!" Rex spoke through gritted teeth as the glow from the gas outside the ship brightened exponentially into a harsh white.

"Hold on everyone!"

The ship pitched violently and Rex was tossed from his seat. The blinding light in the cabin seemed to melt away the interior of the cabin as he slammed into the wall. Then Rex knew only darkness.

* * *

Author's Note: You'll never guess what happened to them. But I'd love to hear your theories! The next chapter was the original idea for the entire story.

Yes, Hardcase and Echo were playing "I Spy," but I wanted it to sound different as if it had evolved through several centuries. Probably a miss there, but hopefully it was funny? Ehhh?

Thank you to my reviewers: Gwen and SEAL-TEAM6! You guys are what continue to inspire me!

Hope you enjoyed!

-Tragically Humorous


	3. Chapter 3

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."

\- The Tenth Doctor, _Doctor Who,_ Season 3, Episode 10, _Blink_

* * *

Rex felt as if he were floating effortlessly in space, completely weightless physically and mentally. It was relaxing to his taxed mind that was constantly consumed with his duties and responsibilities. He was overworked, but currently cut off from the world and his continuously racing thoughts.

Nothing, yet everything seemed to exist, and for a moment he could forget his internal agony. He was utterly warm and content.

The dark stillness was almost peaceful.

"Commander, wake up!"

Almost.

Through the pleasant haze of unconsciousness, Rex could feel someone grasping his shoulder plates and shaking him gently.

"Commander, please wake up."

Reluctantly, he stirred and opened his eyes slowly. Fives' face was leaning over him and Rex could read the relief in his eyes. Echo and Hardcase hovered over his shoulder with their buckets still in place.

The memory of the ship being consumed by the star flooded back into his hazy thoughts and he immediately attempted to sit up.

"Easy, Commander." Fives held him down without difficulty. "You took a blow to the head, I'll help you sit up, but don't rush yourself. Concussions are a nasty business."

Rex nodded to show he understood. With Fives' assistance, he sat up slowly but he could feel his pulse pounding in his temples. Fives kept his hand on his shoulder for support.

"Report," His voice came out hoarse causing him to wince.

"No injuries sir, except yours. We were all unconscious after rift opened. The ship is intact, and the payload is secure." Echo announced in his automated voice.

"Very good," Rex swallowed, trying to fight the discomfort in his throat. "How far are we from _The Resolute_?"

"Uh, well…" Fives hesitated.

Rex narrowed his eyes as he noted the concern on the trooper's face. Unease tickled at the back of his mind. "Out with it, Fives."

"Well sir, we are not actually in space." Fives said with a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"What do you mean 'not _actually_ in space'?" Rex asked skeptically.

"We're on some osik planet, sir." Hardcase stood from his crouched position, leaning back against the wall of the ship with his arms crossed. "It's a _real_ beauty."

"What planet?" The uneasiness was beginning to morph into dread that was sinking rapidly into his stomach.

"We don't know sir," Fives answered honestly. "It's not on any star chart in the database and we can't pick up any communication on our frequency channels."

"Absolutely no communication?" Rex was beginning to wonder how severe a blow to the head he had received.

"It's as if they all disappeared, sir."

"But that's impossible," He immediately struggled against Fives to rise off the floor. "Someone has to be manning a communications device _somewhere _in the kriffing universe."

"That's another thing sir, we are not anywhere near our last location. I'm not sure where in the universe we are. Based off of the constellations we can scan from here, I'd guess we're in the Outer Rim." Fives replied, helping Rex find his footing while his head spun wildly with the news.

He felt something trickling down his face, as he reached up to his throbbing head, his gloved fingertips came away dark with blood. He ignored it and forced himself to fight through the pain in his head. He'd had worse.

Bracing himself against the wall, he closed his eyes tightly. "Okay, what happened while I was unconscious?"

"I woke up first," Fives offered, "Echo, then Hardcase. There seems to be no damaged to the ship whatsoever despite the horrid stress on the bolts we had. Only thing is, the engines won't run. Power to the rest of the ship runs fine, no problem. The engines just refuse to turn over."

"Well we tried everything we could," Echo interjected, "But I doubt we will be able to repair the engines without some explanation of what happened to us and what our systems were put through."

Rex nodded, this was a seasoned group of men he had with him and he was grateful for their ability to function without his lead.

"We tried the comm. after that. Nothing but static." Hardcase sighed, "Every single Republic communication frequency is quiet."

"No ship, no comm., and we have no idea where we are." Rex summarized. "Well at least it can't get any worse."

Hardcase busted out laughing. "I believe you spoke too soon, sir!" He walked over to the release button for the ship's door and pushed it with dramatic flair. Door creaked open, revealing the overcast sky, thick tree branches, and finally the dense foggy marsh of a swampland.

"I think we could make a nice vacation spot here for our leave, sir." Hardcase chuckled as his took in Rex's stony expression.

"It will be alright, boys." Rex said optimistically as he surveyed what he could see of the planet. "We've been through worse than this."

Finally feeling steady on his feet, he glanced to Fives. "What supplies do we have?"

"Whatever rations we individually carried in our belts, weapons in the outside hold, and our genius ingenuity for rough situations." Fives said with a grin.

"Don't forget our sparkling personalities!" Hardcase cut in. Echo sighed and pushed him out of the doorway to the planet's boggy surface.

Rex couldn't help but smile at their antics.

"And I bet you thought this would be a boring mission, aye Fives?" He commented as he moved to join the other two clones outside.

"Never a boring mission with you, sir," Fives responded deadpan, and Rex just smiled grimly before they both strapped their buckets into place.

Once outside the ship, Hardcase and Echo had retrieved their weapons from the storage unit. Rex was handed his two blasters, while Hardcase hefted a large blaster cannon onto his shoulder.

"Shall we?" He said with an obvious smile in his tone.

"Sir, I have no idea how he got that past the flight deck. We weren't approved for any heavy artillery." Echo said to him in a privet comm. for discretion.

"It's Hardcase. Don't worry Echo. He will be properly reprimanded upon our return to _The Resolute._" He couldn't help but smirk. "I can't say that I'm not happy to see some heavy artillery at this point." Echo gave a short laugh.

The ship had landed in the only open area on dry ground in the immediate area. Rex could see that all around them was just swampland. Fog drifted constantly between the trees as they began to trek through the thick, gnarled roots and moist ground.

A stream of muddied water flowed in an erratic pattern, seeming to have no riverbed to follow. In places it seemed to gather in stagnant mockery of a pond, in others, the water ran so thin it was hardly a dribble. It was clearly undrinkable water and as the day progressed, it began to bubble. Occasionally, large ripples would disturb pockets of the water from underneath the surface. Something moving in the darkened water.

The heat was almost unbearable, the sun or suns above the planet couldn't be seen through the overcast skies, but the clouds acted as insulation for the globe. It heated quickly and stayed hot.

After several hours of fighting with the foliage and stepping into what was probably bacteria infested water, Rex called for a halt.

"Rest up, five minutes."

Hardcase and Echo took advantage of the minimal break by leaning against a twisted tree root while Rex and Fives stood. Rex plucked his helmet off his head hoping to catch a small breeze, but he was only met with a stench of muck from the planet.

Hardcase followed suit, but almost immediately replaced his helmet, muttering about better smells in the 'fresher. Fives chuckled, and then turned to face Rex.

"Sir, if I could ask, what is the plan?"

"The only thing we can do now, Fives," Rex replied. "We look for civilians and find a communicator that works."

"If doesn't seem that this planet is overpopulated," Fives stated, his head turning as if surveying the landscape around them. "Or populated at all. Even if we find a settlement, what if they aren't Republic supporters?"

Rex gritted his teeth, he had considered that possibility. "We just have to hope that they are. We don't have many options."

Fives nodded and Rex replaced his bucket, signaling the end of the conversation.

Rex was concerned, he wasn't sure what anomaly had occurred to drag there ship across space to this planet, or how it had happened. It seemed obvious that there had been more risk to this mission then he had been originally led to believe.

Anger began to simmer in his chest. Hardcase was right. The Admiral had sent clones for a reason. He had realized in the past that the Republic used them practically as wet droids after General Krell. No outcry of injustice had come from the Jedi or the Senate. This mission just was another opportunity to exploit their expendability and it sickened him.

He chose to keep his thoughts to himself. Instead he chose to focus on the task in front of him and find a way to get his group off of this planet.

Rex tried to ignore the throbbing of his head and cleared his throat. It still felt dry from waking up in the ship, and he knew it wouldn't be long before even their enhanced genetics needed water and nutrients.

"Move out."

* * *

They continued trudging through the dense, smoggy vegetation, the humidity of the swamp showed no quarter as they sweat even through their bio suits. There was a silence in the swamp that was beginning to unnerve Rex, though he gave no sign of his concern. The very trees seemed to muffle the noise they made in passing; the bog quickly swallowed every sign of their struggle. It was if their presence went unnoticed by nature itself.

They trekked on for several more hours before the comm. silence was broken for Rex.

"Captain, I don't like the feel of this place." Echo came through his helmet on a private channel. "There is something wrong about it."

"Speak your mind, Trooper." Rex replied.

"Well, "Echo hesitated, "We haven't been able to contact anyone, comm. jammers is an easy explanation,"

"Good observation, what else?" Rex stepped over a fallen tree covered in moss, eyes darting quickly around to account for his men. He didn't pay any mind to the soggy ground and mist that crept among the trees.

"The shuttle is completely intact despite our rough entry and the fact that we were all unconscious when we landed doesn't make sense, but the engines won't work. Could be a dampening field, which is another possible explanation."

Rex watched as Hardcase used his blaster cannon as a tool to hack away a tangle of vines in his way before hefting the weapon again to lean against his shoulder. "It'd be a pretty large dampening field. I don't think we should be concerned with that at the moment." Rex commented, his tone dismissing Echo's worries.

"But sir, I have yet to see any sign of life on this planet other than these damn plants in this swamp and whatever is swimming in the water."

Rex felt the hairs at the back of his neck lift and his instincts flared with alarm.

Was someone watching them?

"Hey everyone! I think I see something!" Hardcase excitedly gestured into the far distance. "Oh wait, it's just more swamp." He laughed obnoxiously.

"Come on, Hardcase." Fives shook his head. "Why do you always have something to say?"

"Better than being boring! Am I right Echo?" Hardcase laughed as he took his next step, his foot caught against an unseen obstacle. Falling forward he let out a sharp cry before impacting with a span of murky water, his heavy weapon launching a short distance away on drier ground. Something small with tentacles shrieked from under the surface as it was displaced by Hardcase's fall and quickly disappeared into deeper water.

"Hardcase!" Rex called out in concern, and was relieved when the jokester let out a large moan.

"Kriffing planet!" He got up onto his hands and knees, muddy water streaming off of his armor, "Kriffing swamp!" He stood up slowly, "And _kriffing rocks!_"

Rex couldn't help but chuckle along with Echo and Fives.

"I really hate this planet." Hardcase said looking up at the cloud covered sky before turning to look for his fallen cannon.

"It's behind you, Hardcase. No, the other way!" Fives called out with a laugh while Rex scanned their surroundings. The foliage was the same as it had been for their entire journey, but he was set on edge by the growing silence around them.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

"Commander, I found something." Hardcase knelt down at the large rock that was close to wear his blaster had fallen. "It's a grave marker. Some poor sap is buried on this horrible planet."

Echo and Fives had moved over to observe the discovery. "Hey, there's some over here too." Echo called out. There were four stones in semi-circle in the dryer ground near a large section of waterlogged swampland. "Poor saps."

"Something's carved in it," Rex moved to stand behind Hardcase as the kneeling trooper brushed away the overgrown moss on the marker, revealing deeply cut words.

_Commander Rex_

_CT-7567_

Rex's eyes widened in surprise and confusion beneath his visor as his grip unconsciously tightened on his blaster.

"Kriff," Fives breathed from behind him, he could hear Echo scratching the moss from the first stone.

"Here's one that says _Fives ARC-5555_," He called with a shaky voice before moving to the next. "_Hardcase CT-2784_," He move past where Rex stood in front of the stone with his name carved in it to the final stone. "_Echo CT-21-0408_, we're all here." He stated unsteadily.

"These poor saps are _us_." Hardcase whispered noisily.

"But how could we be buried here?" Fives asked disbelievingly, his eyes darting from marker to marker.

"Doomed!" Hardcase howled in anger throwing his head back to look at the sky, "We're dead! Right here! And it doesn't look like any battle to me! _Kriff!" _

"Pull yourself together, mate." Fives snapped with a look mixed with embarrassment and sympathy. "You're not dead yet."

"You're here too," Hardcase retorted, pointing to the first marker. "Right over there. You're probably the first to go!"

"We were created to die for the Republic! Or have you forgotten that?" Fives stepped aggressively toward the kneeling Hardcase.

"No, I haven't forgotten! But any dying that is going to be done, _should _be done in battle! Not lost and forgotten on a forsaken planet!"

"Troopers!" Rex barked out. "That's enough." He turned his head slowly, eyeing each one of them through his visor. "We don't know what happened here, but what we do know is that we are alive. Right here, right now."

He reached down and pulled Hardcase to his feet, his heavy weapon slack in his hand.

"Until we can find someone and get some questions answered, we cannot lose our heads. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" They answered in unison with varying tones of enthusiasm.

"Good," Rex let out an uneven breath.

Ice was trickling down his spine and he couldn't help but wonder if that's what it felt like when someone walked over your grave. It was probably worse since he was currently standing on what was supposedly his own.

He shuddered slightly despite the humidity.

"Answers, you seek?" A voice called from above them, reverberating through the dense undergrowth.

Rex had his blaster up and aimed at the direction of the voice before he could blink.

"Answers, I also seek," The voice called out again, but from the opposite direction. Rex and his men whirled to compensate, weapons drawn.

"Answer this!" Hardcase yelled, firing his weapon in the direction of the voice. His blaster completely demolished a swampy tree and Rex cried out for him to stop, but his voice was lost in the sound of blaster fire. Hardcase didn't stop shooting until Rex grasped his arm, forcing him to lower his gun.

"Stand down, trooper!" Rex's voice rang loudly in the sudden quiet. With his hand still on Hardcase's arm, he took a deep breath. "Stand down."

Hardcase nodded jerkily, allowing his weapon to fall to his side.

Silence fell through the swamp.

"Please!" Rex spoke, not knowing where to look among the various twisted branches and fogginess. "We're not familiar with your planet, can you help us?"

"Help you?" A hooded figure landed on the ground in front of the group. "Perhaps,"

The small figure pulled back the brown hood and the four clones gasped.

"Master Yoda?!"

The Jedi Grand Master said nothing, but drew his light saber from underneath his robes, activated the weapon, and took a defensive stance.

* * *

Author's Note: Yoda? What? Where did he come from? Oh wait, I already know the answer.

The answers will be revealed. I've already stated that I have this entire story planned out and I've already written through chapter five and started six. I promise this will all make sense. Hopefully.

Most facts were taken from Wookeeipedia, but I couldn't find Hardcase's ID number so I created one for him. If anyone knows this information, let me know and I'll update it.

Sorry for the delay! I moved halfway across America last week so that can kinda eat up some time. But I don't start my new job for a week and a half! Yay free time! (More like yay netflix bingeing!)

Thank you to KashinaKairi who reviewed for the last chapter, and thank you to everyone who has favorited this story so far. You, the reader, are my inspiration for continuing any work.

Until next chapter!

Much love!

-Tragically Humorous


	4. Chapter 4

"I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time."

\- Steven Wright

* * *

Rex stood with his feet rooted to the ground in surprise. Before him stood Grand Master Yoda, when as far as Rex knew he was supposed to be on Coruscant with the Jedi Council.

He couldn't say that he knew the Jedi knight well, but he was pretty confident that he wasn't usually this hostile.

"What purpose have you here?" Yoda questioned, not taking his hard gaze from him, the green light saber humming quietly as he held it defensively against them.

"We were sent on a mission from Admiral Yularen, into Separatist space." Rex held up his hand in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner to the armed Jedi while he holstered his blaster. "We were pulled into some sort of interstellar distortion that brought us here," Rex grunted, "Wherever 'here' is." Behind him he heard murmurs of agreement from his men.

"Separatists?" Yoda sounded genuinely surprised. "Trick this is? Hmm?"

"Trick?" Rex was honestly confused, he took a small step forward in irritation, "Look I don't know exactly-"

"Sent to kill me, where you not?" Yoda shifted his stance at Rex's movement, holding his light saber out to point directly at him. Rex could hear the sound of basters being raised behind him; he immediately motioned for his men to lower their weapons.

"We weren't sent to kill anyone," Rex held both of his hands up, his eyes imploring the Jedi to understand as apprehension filled his gut. "I think there has been some misunderstanding."

"Come here before, Imperial Troopers have." Yoda's gaze did not waver. "Forced to kill them, I was."

"Imperial troopers?" Rex repeated inquiringly, his concern growing. Nothing the Jedi was saying made any sense. Why would this Jedi kill troopers?

"Sir, I don't know what division came here and so thoroughly pissed you off, but I've never heard of an Imperial Trooper before." Hardcase called out from behind him.

Rex saw a light of recognition flash in the ancient Jedi's eyes. "Tell me, which battle was the last you heard? Hmm?"

"Before I received my orders for this mission, I heard of a skirmish brewing against the Republic on Cato Neimoidia," Rex offered, his memory stirring to life despite his injury from their earlier crash. "But we left almost immediately after for our mission."

"Cato Neimoidia?" Yoda's mumbled, dropping his gaze from Rex, his steady hand holding his weapon began to shake slightly. Rex noticed his eyes were glassy. "Yes, a battle there was."

In that moment, Rex could almost see the Jedi age before his eyes. The weapon was lowered and deactivated, and his straight stature curved to that of a creature that time had withered. The wrinkles of his aged face were more pronounced as he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Come finally, the time has. Hmm." Using the Force, the Jedi pulled to his hand a gnarled root of a tree and used it to lean upon while he replaced his weapon beneath his robe.

"Forgive me, you must. Recognize you, I did not. Explain what I can, I will. But not here." The Jedi turned to face the darkening woods. "Lead the way, I will. A surprise for you, I have." He began walking without looking back, using the tree root as his support, just as Rex had seen a few times before within The Temple.

His men gathered around while he remained still standing in front of a stone marker with his name engraved into it.

"What's the plan?" Fives asked on an intercom between the four of them. "Do you think we can trust him after he threatened us?"

Rex shook his head. "He could have easily killed us if he felt inclined. You've seen Jedi fight."

"He seems senile to me." Hardcase tossed out, hefting his cannon into place on his shoulder. "You can't trust old people, especially old people with weapons."

"Weren't you the one who was a bit trigger happy? Maybe we shouldn't trust you with weapons." Fives countered.

"Hey, I thought we were under attack! It's best to be on the offensive!"

"You almost killed a Jedi Master."

"Well he wouldn't be a Master if something as simple as a blaster could kill him."

"He is a Grand Master," Echo said reasonably, not distracted by Fives and Hardcase's bickering. "And I bet he has a house somewhere around here, maybe even food."

"Food?" Hardcase's tone changed from skeptical to eager. "Well what are we waiting for?"

Three white, decorated helmets turned to Rex made the final decision.

"For now we follow him until we get our answers. Stay on your guard. But I, for one want to know why I'm standing on my grave." Rex began to follow after Yoda. His men fell in line as the swampland continued to be consumed by shadows.

* * *

The foursome followed Yoda in comm. silence among them long after they were required to switch to night vision inside their buckets. The elderly Jedi continued on at a surprisingly steady pace in the darkness, and Rex never once saw him stumble against a root or step into the mucky water.

Rex's curiosity was gnawing at his insides and continued to be fed by his thoughts that swirled ceaselessly in his mind. He knew they were past time for their check in with the Admiral and that there would be ramifications for the delayed arrival.

The cargo was secure in the ship, which they could easily track back to with their wrist comms. With the time restriction of the mission, by now Tolaris would have sucked away the last bit of life from Breeis and would be getting close to supernova.

What he couldn't wrap his mind around was the reality of being flung so far away from their original destination. He was a solider, not a scientist. But he knew something had happened when they flew into the vaporous matter of the star that had caused their mission to be compromised.

The next enigma was the sudden appearance of the Master Jedi walking in a rhythmic stride with his impromptu staff in front of him. There was no logical reasoning that his contemplations could form that explained the presence of the warrior. The possibilities seemed endless and yet they couldn't be.

Rex's temples were throbbing from the effort, and probably from the lack of food, water, and medical attention from his head injury.

Inside his helmet he could feel where the blood from the small wound on his head had trickled down and long since dried. It would still need to be addressed no matter how superficial it was.

He turned his attention again to the Jedi. He could tell there was something different about him, and yet it was familiar to Rex. The Master seemed to be lost in thought in his silence, and wrapped in grief. His posture held the weight of death upon his shoulders and carried the burden with every step. It was mirrored in Rex's own bearing.

What could have happened to the Jedi to bring him such sorrow?

"Deep thoughts you have, Commander," The sound of Yoda's unique voice startled him out of his contemplations. "Concern you, they do."

Rex cleared his throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable at forgetting how _perceptive _the Jedi were. It had been awhile since he had been around one without a battle raging.

"My apologies, sir." He replied. "I do have a lot of questions."

"Hmm, lead to answers we are not ready for, questions can." The elder Jedi paused in his stride to allow Rex to walk beside him. "Hidden from you, many things are. Sensitive time, this is."

"I just don't understand why we are here, or _how_ we even got here. What about our mission?" Frustration leaked into Rex's voice.

"Desire clarity we do, so that trust in the Force is not required."

"Do you always speak in riddles, sir?" Rex asked with a humorless chuckle and the jade Jedi hummed to himself in way Rex could only interpret as humor.

"Provide for new perspective, riddles often do." Yoda looked up at Rex as he walked. "Revealed, all will be. Trust in the Force, you must."

Rex didn't respond, choosing to fall again into silence. Discussing the Force always made him uneasy. He couldn't deny the presence of the Force because he saw the Jedi living in comfortable coexistence with it and saw how they could tap into the power, bending it to their will. That didn't make him comfortable with an invisible power that he couldn't access himself, let alone trusting that it influenced things and people around him in ways they didn't realize.

The sound of his boots pulling out of the mud with every step filled the gap for speech. Inside of his visor, he could see the comm. light blinking for the three troopers behind him talking amongst the privacy of their buckets. He didn't have the desire to join their conversation.

"Arrived, we have." Yoda announced breaking Rex from his thoughts. Focusing on the trees ahead, Rex could see a faint light emitting from a dugout house in the base of a tree. Over the smell of the swamp, a pleasant aroma of something cooking entered through his air filters into his helmet, causing his stomach to rumble.

"Master! Look out!" A distantly feminine called out urgently.

A dark figure summersaulted from the large tree above the humble home, landing in a crouch with a hand on the ground for balance and within a heartbeat was rushing at Rex.

The distinguishing sound of light sabers being ignited caused Rex to react defensively, automatically pulling his weapon from his holster the moment that yellow and green glowing Jedi weapons were crossed at his throat. His blaster was pressed firmly against the lower torso of his attacker.

"Rex?!" The call came through his helmet from all three of his men.

"Hold fire!" He responded in the private comm.

"Ahsoka! Among friends, we are." Yoda stated firmly, both hands crossed over his staff in a sagely manner. "Lower your weapons."

"Ahsoka?" Rex questioned in partial shock. With his eyes adjusting to the sudden glow of her weapons near his visor, he couldn't help but recognize her facial markings and signature scowl but it was on the face of a Togruta that was significantly older than his memory recalled, though only barely taller.

"Master, they're troopers." She spoke through gritted teeth, anger reflecting plainly in her eyes that were illuminated by her warrior weapons, and seemed to see past the darkness of his visor. "They cannot be trusted!"

"Imperial troopers, they are not." Yoda moved closer to the younger Jedi. Using his staff, he placed it against Ahsoka's raised arm. Reluctantly she lowered her weapons and Rex withdrew his blaster but kept it in his grasp. He remained silent, allowing Yoda to explain while his mind was still reeling at seeing her.

"How do you know we can trust them?" Ahsoka asked, taking a step back and only looking at the elder Jedi.

"Come, the time has. Hurry we must."

"Now?" Ahsoka's eyes grew wide and she turned to look at him as if seeing him for the first time. She quickly extinguished her weapons and they found their place at her belt.

"Rexter?" She questioned, taking a step toward him. "Is that really you? After all this time?"

"Uh…" He couldn't bring himself to respond. He hadn't seen her in months and now she stood in front of him. Or at least, it was her but yet it wasn't. Her grown features conflicted with his memories and the worn way in which she carried herself was foreign.

She stepped forward again, her hands moving up to his helmet. Even in the dark, he could see tears forming in her cerulean eyes as her fingers brushed against the marks on his bucket. Her hands moved down to the where the plastiod curved under his chin, he quickly reached up to release the locking mechanism and bent his head down allowing for her to pull the helmet off.

As his night vision disappeared with his bucket, he saw Ahsoka with his own eyes and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey lil'un,"

A sorrowful cry tore from her throat and she launched herself into his arms.

Rex stumbled back a bit in surprise but held the crying woman in his arms while her small frame shook with emotion. He wasn't sure how to respond but it seemed all too soon she pulled away and hugged him tightly.

"I never thought this day would come." She whispered into his shoulder plate. "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you."

Rex wasn't sure what to say, but he couldn't ignore the sudden lightness he felt in his heart. "I missed you too." He said with a chuckle.

"Youngling, hurry we must!" Yoda called out as he walked toward the small house.

Rex could feel the reluctance in Ahsoka's embrace, but when she stepped up on her tiptoes to peer over his shoulder at Fives, Echo, and Hardcase, all three who waved at her, she gave him back his bucket and went to greet them as well hugging each trooper with tears streaming down her face.

"Master Yoda is right," She laughed while she wiped away a few of her tears. "We have to go inside so he can explain everything."

"Ahsoka," Rex managed to recover enough from his disbelief at seeing the young Jedi. "Can you at least tell us where we are?"

"Didn't you figure it out yet, Rexster?" Her damp eyes reflected in the faint light from the dugout house and in them he saw only deep sadness. "This is the future."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so I figure that after several decades, the memory of the clones unique markings would have faded in Yoda's and Ahsoka's mind, so that's why they attacked Rex and friends. This is the same future as Luke found it on Dagobah (as several of you guessed correctly). More or less? Work with me people! :)

Fun fact: I only wanted this story to be three long chapters, but I don't have the attention span for that and it just kept growing.

Did anyone spot the Star Trek reference? I didn't even do it on purpose. And yes, it is possible to be a true fan of both Star Trek and Star Wars. I am living proof. Of course, I am also extremely strange. o_0

I hope that I'm doing "Yoda speech" correctly. I'm mostly just doing what I think it would sound like.

I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed and favorited this story! You guys keep me writing. It really is the only motivation the authors get. Thank you!

***Special thanks to **Kulechick **to invited me to her Clone Wars role-play forum. Alas, I think I'm too introverted for even online RPing, but if any of you readers are interested, send her a message! Here is the link to the forum.

forum/Stars-Amoung-Us/176903/

Sorry for the extra long notes, have a Happy Easter!

-Tragically Humorous


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